Disclaimer: I don't own "Yu-Gi-Oh!", but man…I sure wish that I did. (Don't we all?)

In addition, the warnings that I gave at the beginning of the first chapter take notice more in the middle of this chapter. So as before, if you dislike violence, then do not continue reading.

Yu-Gi-Oh! - The Thrill of the Hunt


Chapter 2 - Preying For Prey

Tea, Joey and Grandpa screamed Yugi's name, but they saw that Yugi was still kneeling on the

ground…with no gunshots wounds on him anywhere!

"Scared? Surprised?" Seeker asked, cocking the gun in his hand once more. "THIS one was filled with blanks…but if you ever cross me again, I WON'T be so gracefully charitable!"

Arch Seeker tucked the gun back in his belt, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and walked away cackling heartily to himself. Yugi just glared at him. But the anger, rage, and hatred inside him grew more and more…and those negative emotions arose to a burning climax. Unbeknownst to Yugi, the Millennium Puzzle around his neck began to glow brightly…

"YUGI!"

The young boy whipped his head around in the direction of the voices and saw the others come towards him. The Puzzle's light ceased in a split second. Yugi gently cradled the dog in his arms, and his tears started streaming down his cheeks again.

"Guys!" Yugi yelled.

"We saw what dat creep did! You showed some real guts dere, pal!" Joey congratulated.

"Oh, Yugi! Thank goodness you weren't hurt!" Tea yelled, hugging Yugi tightly.

Yugi's eyes went wide again as she thrust her arms around him and cried a little. Yugi's cheeks flushed a soft shade of red, not surprisingly. As nice as this felt, his mind quickly switched back to the dog that had been shot.

"Oh…Grandpa! The dog! How is…I mean…"

Yugi gasped when he saw the growing bloodstain on the ground. But he exhaled a sigh of relief when he saw that the dog was still conscious and breathing, albeit somewhat heavily.

"I not sure, Yugi…I'm no veterinarian. However, it seems like the bullet only grazed the dog's leg…but I really can't be sure."

"Well, there's NO way we can jus' leave him 'ere! We gotta take this thing someplace where it can get some help!" Joey declared.

"It's okay, Joey," Yugi said. "I told my mom to ring up the vet before we left. She's half-expecting us."

"Then we have to get this dog to her right away!" Tea stated.

"I know where she lives!" Grandpa said firmly. "Help me pick the dog up, Joey!"

Joey, Tea and Grandpa tried hard to do so, but it was no easy task, as the dog was more heavy than it appeared to be. But additional help would come and make impeccable timing-

"Hey! You guys need any help?" hollered a low male voice.

Yugi, Tea, Joey, and Grandpa turned their heads and briefly smiled when he saw who the voice belonged to. It was two more of his friends!

"Tristan! Miho!" Yugi yelled.

"Yugi! We saw what just happened and it was just SICK what that guy pulled back there!" Miho exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Tristan agreed. "But you showed that creep who's REALLY the bravest!"

"Listen, we need to get this dog to da vet! Help us out, Tristan!" Joey noted.

"Joey's right!" Yugi said. "Let's get this fella to where he needs to be!"

"Wait!" Tea said. "Joey…you, Miho, Tristan, and Grandpa get the dog to that nearby vet! I'll stay here with Yugi and we'll catch up with you!"

"Okay," Joey said. "Let's move out, guys!"

Miho took a handkerchief out of her pocket and tied it gently, but firmly around the dog's wounded leg, in order to lessen the amount of bleeding.

"Hey, Yugi?" Miho said before taking off with the others.

"Yeah?" he said, much calmer than before.

"Nice job back there," she said.

Miho flashed him a real warm smile that Yugi hadn't seen before. Tristan had nothing to say, but gave him a thumbs-up as a sign that Yugi had done well. Joey just grinned and winked. After everyone had left Tea exhaled heavily and wiped a little sweat off of her forehead.

"Umm…Tea?" Yugi asked as he sat himself on the edge of the stage where Arch Seeker had performed.

"Yeah, Yugi?"

"Why did you stay behind?"

Tea couldn't think of anything to say at the moment so she just sighed and sat on the stage next to her good friend.

"Well…I guess I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. We were ALL really worried."

"Hey, I was hanging on to the edge of my own seat for a while there."

Tea and Yugi laughed for a moment, letting themselves relax temporarily. But as much as Yugi hated to see the laughter end, there were still some things that he felt he need to discuss with Tea.

"You and Joey musta been scared outta your wits, huh?"

"You can say that again…I'm just sorry we couldn't have helped more! You really showed that you had enough courage for all of us."

"That's not true! You helped me just by being there! That's what you always say, isn't it?"

"I say what?"

"That we're a team! We support each other…right, Tea?"

"That's right, Yugi!" Tea said, smiling. "That's what you, me, Joey, Tristan, and Miho have always been about! Friends being there for one another!"

Yugi sighed too, and tried hard to force a smile. This had been quite a stressful day, but it wasn't anything a good night's sleep couldn't fix.

"And Yugi…?"

"Yeah?" Yugi said looking up at Tea's pretty face.

"I almost lost you today…and, uh…"

"And?"

Tea had a real problem trying to say what she was trying to say. So she quickly leaned closer to Yugi and sweetly kissed him on the cheek.

"Just promise me that you won't ever scare me like that again," she said blushing and nervously fidgeting her hands behind her back.

"I, uh…I'll…I'll…I'll try not to…" was all he could get out.

Yugi was now blushing furiously, too. He was completely at a loss for words, not surprisingly. For another few seconds, the two teens stared at each other, and then they stared down at the ground. Tea then broke the uncomfortable silence by holding out her hand.

"C'mon, Yugi…let's go see if the dog is okay," she said in a very sweet and soft tone, holding out her hand.

"Nah, I think stay here for a few more minutes…y'know, to catch my breath. You go on without me."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay. Go on, Tea. I'll catch up with you."

"Okay, Yugi. I'll see you in a little while."

"Bye!"

Tea waved as she ran off into the distance, and soon Yugi was alone. By now, the sun had gone down, and the streetlights began shining onto the ground below. Yugi got off of the stage and went back to the spot where the hunter had shot at him. All that was left from recent catastrophe was the bloodstain on the ground from where the dog had bled.

Somehow, the smell of the dog's blood was still pretty strong. But the smell entering his nose wasn't the blood of the impaired animal…it was the stench of the rotten hunter who had preyed on the weak and defenseless.

Similar to a few moments before, Yugi grew angry, and clenched his fists, which soon shook with burning rage. His soul became consumed with hatred for the horrible man and hunter, Arch Seeker. He closed his eyes and his mouth slowly flashed a dark grin. In a low voice that sounded different from his usual tone, he said…

"I think it's time to see how good a hunter Arch Seeker really is."

Yugi closed his eyes and once again, the golden Millennium Puzzle around his neck began to activate and released its dark magic. It shook for a second, then the eye-like emblem on the front of it glowed, and a brilliant continuous flash of bright golden light emitted from the entire Puzzle itself.

The light from the Millennium Puzzle then focused into a thin beam, and aimed itself at the center of Yugi's forehead and the imprint of a glowing eye appeared there. His own eyes opened about halfway, and his spiky hair became wavy, even through there was no wind present to blow through it.

As no one was there to witness the strange transformation that was taking place, no one could hear the shout that followed when the Puzzle's light filled the whole area for a brief second…

"YUGIOH!!"

The light from the centuries-old Egyptian artifact then intensified and glowed even brighter than the streetlights hanging from above.


About fifteen to twenty minutes later, Arch Seeker returned. He evilly smiled to himself, confident in his abilities, as he usually was. But in the few minutes, all that would change forever. He looked carefully at some of the equipment that hadn't been packed up yet.

"Hmm, I'll have to stock up on some better weapons the next time I go hunting for fresh meat."

"Meat is only as tasteful as the butcher who prepares it…just as weapons are only as skillful as the hunter who uses them," echoed a deep, mature voice, followed by dark laughter.

"Who…who's there?! Show yourself!"

The mysterious voice originating from nowhere (or so it seemed) ignored the hunter at the present moment and continued its philosophical speech.

"It's the same regarding one's inner strength. Power is only as potent as the warrior who wields it."

"Stop babbling and step outta the darkness or I'll shoot!" Seeker said as he reached for his pistol.

Suddenly a sparkle of gold light appeared from within the darkness of the stage where the hunter had been performing. More laughter was heard as Seeker continued to point his gun at the figure who stepped into the light. Seeker was somewhat confused at the individual standing before him, laughing.

This person had a stern, determined expression firmly fixed to his face. He just stood there confidently with his hands in his pockets. The white shirt that he had been wearing under his blue school jacket had now been replaced by a dark blue leather-like undershirt. The shade of blue on his school jacket and pants had now appeared in an indigo color. Black shoes were worn around his feet, instead of the black and white sneakers that had been there previously.

Seeker wasn't sure what to make of this person, but he definitely looked familiar. Then he noticed the pendant around the individual's neck. That's when it struck him. The hunter hadn't noticed it immediately but he saw now that this person looked slightly different from before. He was noticeably taller than before, and had a cold, serious look on his face. There were also additional yellow strands of hair from his forehead sticking upwards with the rest of his hair.

"What a minute! NOW I remember you! You're that snot-nosed punk I was talking to before! What other business do you have here? Didn't you learn your lesson?"

"Heh, heh, heh. Maybe…and maybe not. But it's all too clear to me you've yet to learn yours. So let me educate you in the true ways of hunting."

"What would YOU know about hunting?! Get lost, kid! Who do you think you are, anyway?"

"I'm Yugi Moto…but just call me Yugi."

"Yugi, huh? Well, I'd prefer to call you 'DEAD', if you don't make yourself scarce! So unless you want me to spill some of your blood like I did with that dog, you better do as I say!"

"Actually, I've something much more ingenious in mind."

"What are you talking about?"

"I say we handle this in a civilized way…LET'S PLAY A GAME!"

"A game?"

"That's right...one that will decide your fate, coward! You say that hunting is all just a game to you. So let's see how well you deal with my version of a hunt…with new rules! This will be a SHADOW GAME!"

"Ha! Why should I bother to play a stupid game with you? You have nothing that's of any use to me! What's to stop me from grabbing a rifle and giving your body more holes than Swiss cheese?!"

"Because a prize awaits you if you win!" Yugi said as he pointed towards the table Seeker had been sitting at, where he had been counting his money.

"Well? What is it?" Seeker asked.

"Win this game…and I'll match the money you made today from your pathetic demonstrations! But if you break the rules, then you must pay the penalty!"

Seeker's eyes widened beyond belief. He took into account that this kid might be lying, but the chance to score some quick cash money was often a tempting offer that not many people like him could resist.

"Interesting offer, kid! All right, what's this game of yours?"

"First things first…"

"Huh?"

"The hidden gun in your belt," Yugi said pointing at him. "Get rid of it. And I want you walking in front of me as we head towards the location of our game. There will be no surprise attacks from you!"

"Hmph! Doesn't matter…" Seeker said as he took the gun out of his belt and tossed it into one of the bins where he kept his other weapons, and relocked it.

"Good…looks like you at least have the ability to follow orders. It will make your following of the rules much easier!"

"Watch that mouth of yours, punk! Now let's get on with this hunt! The sooner I win, the sooner I can take my prize!"

"Very well…we'll play in the miniature zoo in the nearby park."

"Fine! Lead the way!"

Yugi nodded and gestured to get a move on. Yugi wasn't sure how good of a hunter Arch Seeker really was, but nevertheless, he was determined to make him pay for-


"HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!"


As they walked, Yugi's eyes and ears perked up at the laughter he thought he had heard, and mentally sensed a great evil force somewhere in the vicinity. Yugi quickly looked around, but it was near impossible to see anything in this darkness, which was rapidly accelerating. Still keeping his pace, he regained his focus and concentrated on the talk at hand.

A minute or two later, the two men arrived at the site. The park in Domino had a small segment that operated like a zoo. There were even some cages with a few really wild animals in them.

The two of them stopped walking as they came to a giant cage split in half. Seeker couldn't exactly see the animals in there, but at the same time, he didn't feel like finding out. Yugi led the hunter into the half of the cage that was empty.

"Here is where we will play our game," Yugi stated.

"You mean…in this huge animal cage?!"

"Yes. Now…I've prepared the equipment that we need for this hunting game."

Yugi pointed to a nearby wooden table in the corner. On it was a small pile of arrows, and two bows.

"What's this all about?"

"Heh, heh…you'll see soon enough. Next we must use these!"

Seeker became even more confused as Yugi held up a pair of shackles, typically used on prison inmates. Yugi took them, and attached one end of each shackle to one of the bars that separated the gigantic cage in two. Then he gave the end of one shackle to the hunter, and kept one for himself.

"Now, we must both shackle the other end of this chain to our ankle so that we can't escape! Then we both pick up a bow and take turns shooting arrows at the bars that separate the two halves of this cage!"

"Get to the point, kid! Are we aiming for the animals in this game?!"

"No. Our target is…the LOCK! "

"Wha…?"

The hunter looked forward and saw that the bars separating the two halves of the cage was actually also a door. It had no handle, but there was a lock holding the door closed. Upon closer observation, the lock looked old and rusty, and it probably wouldn't take very much strength to break it off without the key. And with the aid of what little light there was, Seeker could just make out the silhouettes of a few wild animals in the other half of the cage. He began to sweat a bit, as the animals looked HUNGRY.

"That lock keeps the door closed between the two parts of this cage. Now, from the looks of how old it is, it might not take a lot for it to break. So we'll use our arrows and aim for the lock. Every time we hit it, it will come looser and looser until it breaks off, setting all the animals loose on THIS side of the cage!"

"Hmmm…"

"The player who manages to avoid breaking off the lock is the winner! In addition, there is a hidden key in this small pile of arrows is the key that can unlock the shackle that's attached around our ankle. An automatic win goes to the one to uncover the key first!"

"So the winner frees himself, while the loser becomes rat bait! Sounds interesting! I've never lost when it comes to the thrill of the hunt, and this game makes no difference to me! I accept the challenge!"

"Very well! Then attach the shackle you're holding around one of your ankles! I'll do the same."

Yugi and the hunter took a moment to do just that. In his mind, Yugi mentally apologized to the caged animals for two things. First, for any inadvertent taunting and scaring inflicted upon them as they shot off the arrows. Second…for how unsatisfying the hunter will taste when they FEED on him!

Another thing that caught Yugi's attention was that the hunter didn't seem to be nervous at all. He must have had one last trick up his sleeve, so Yugi would definitely have to be on his guard if he wanted to win this game!

"Okay, now that everything is in place, take your bow! And lastly, we'll shoot to decide who goes first!!" Yugi said, holding out his fist.

The hunter did the same, and at the same time they were to hold out their hands in a "Rock, Paper, Scissors" fashion. Seeker chose rock and Yugi chose paper.

"Looks like I go first! Now get ready!" he declared.

"Heh!" the hunter sneered.

"GAME START! " Yugi hollered.


TO BE CONTINUED (AGAIN)…

Well, the second chapter is completed and done with! There should be at least one more, so keep sending me reviews and continue giving me feedback! I absolutely enjoy reading it! So keep waiting, and we'll soon find out what fate holds in store for Yugi and the rest of the gang! By the way, if any of you have criticism regarding the "game" I invented, so please go easy on me! It took me forever to think it up, and I'm still wracking my brain over it! Well, see you all later! Sayonara!